Chinese couple arrested for unauthorized campsite in Fukuoka

A Chinese couple was arrested in Fukuoka, Japan, for creating an unauthorized campsite at the historic Ono Castle ruins. The police detained Xiaoqing Liu, 41, and her husband, Yong Li, 42, on Thursday. They are both from Umi, Fukuoka Prefecture. City officials spotted prefab huts at the castle ruins in October 2022. They asked the couple to take them down, but Liu and Li refused, according to police reports. The campsite was found to be operational by September 2023. The couple allegedly developed about 2,300 square meters of land owned by multiple individuals, including a 95-year-old woman, without permission. Although Liu and Li owned some land in the area, they did not get consent from the other landowners required for such development. Creating a campsite in a designated historic site like Ono Castle requires permits under Japanese law. However, neither the city nor the prefectural government received any applications from the couple for their campsite. The site's historic significance dates back to the 7th century, and it has been recognized as a national special historic site since 1953.